Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED

That Cllr Weir be elected as Chair for the current meeting.

There were no disclosures of a local or disclosable pecuniary interest.

a)  The proposed appointee to be welcomed to the meeting.

b)  The Panel Members and host Authority Officers present will introduce themselves to the candidate.

c)  The Panel's Clerk to outline the format of the meeting, that the Commissioner has supplied the information required by law for the meeting and that formal notification of the proposed appointment was received on 26 October 2022 (copy enclosed).

The Chair welcomed Mr Dalgarno to the meeting and Panel Members introduced themselves.

The Clerk to the Panel outlined the format of the meeting.

a)  To receive the report of the Panel's role in confirming the appointment of the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner (copy enclosed).

b)  To receive the report of the Police and Crime Commissioner in respect of the proposed appointment of a Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Officer (copy enclosed).

c)  Panel Members to ask questions of the candidate.

d)  Candidate to clarify any of his responses and to ask any questions of the Panel.

e)  Clerk to advise that the Panel will make its report and recommendations to the Commissioner no later than Thursday 10 November 2022.

This meeting constituted the Confirmation Hearing for the proposed appointment of a new Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire, required to be held under Schedule 1 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 to enable the Panel to report to the Police and Crime Commissioner on that proposed appointment.

The Panel considered the report of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire in respect of the proposed appointment of Mr Dalgarno to the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire which, in addition to identifying Mr Dalgarno as the preferred candidate, provided details of:

·  the criteria used to assess the candidate’s suitability for appointment

·  why the candidate satisfied those criteria

·  the terms and conditions on which the candidate was proposed to be appointed.

In addition to this information, at the request of the Panel, Commissioner Akinbusoye also provided:

·  The questions asked of the candidates and the rationale behind those questions

·  An outline of the selection process

·  The report of the independent member on the selection panel

·  The role profile as advertised as part of the selection process

·  A press release on the selection process

·  Biographies of all those on the selection panel

The Confirmation Hearing was conducted in accordance with the procedure adopted by the Panel for this process which sought to ensure that it conducted its business as required by law.

Panel Members questioned Mr Dalgarno in relation to his appointment.  At the conclusion of their questions, the Panel thanked Mr Dalgarno for attending the hearing.

The Panel was reminded that the Confirmation Hearing was required to be held within a three week period as permitted by law, from receiving notification of the proposed appointment, for the appointment to be reviewed by the Panel and a report submitted to the Commissioner on the proposed appointment.  The notification of the proposed appointment was 26 October 2022.

To consider whether to pass a resolution under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 to exclude the public from the remainder of the meeting on the grounds that consideration of the following items of business are likely to involve the disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 1 and 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act (as amended).

RESOLVED

That, pursuant to Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting on the grounds that consideration of the following item of business is likely to involve the disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act (as amended):

THE FOLLOWING MINUTE ITEM WAS CONDUCTED IN CONFIDENTIAL SESSION BUT IS NOT CONSIDERED SENSITIVE

AND IS INCLUDED HERE FOR PUBLIC VIEW.

The Panel will then be invited to authorise the Clerk, after consultation with the Chair, to issue its Report to the Commissioner containing its recommendations on the appointment and to determine the timescale for release of the Report to the media and the public.

Panel Members considered Mr Dalgarno’s responses to the questions relating to his proposed appointment to the role of Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner and were majority in favour of their recommendation that Commissioner Akinbusoye proceed with Mr Dalgarno’s appointment.

The Panel during their considerations, offered its caution around issues of sensitivity of the role and potential conflicts of interest that mightarise.  The Panel received clarification that Mr Dalgarno would be stepping down from his role as Chair of the Bedfordshire Police & Crime Panel; and that the Leader of Central Bedfordshire Council was reallocating areas of responsibility for Mr Dalgarno in his role as an Executive Member at Central Bedfordshire Council to avoid any potential issues of conflict. One member of the Panel felt that the role of a Deputy was unnecessary but the preferred candidate was suitably experienced for the role as it had been created.

  RESOLVED:

That, having reviewed the proposed appointment, Commissioner Akinbusoye, be recommended to proceed with the appointment of Mr Ian Dalgarno to the newly created role of Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire as set out in the report submitted to the Panel and that a report of the Panel be forwarded to the Commissioner to this effect.